This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.

This work explores the graphic novel's reception in both popular and scholarly arenas and how the conceptual relationship between images and words affects the reading experience. Other topics include heroism as a stereotype, the hero's journey, the role of the narrator, and the way in which the graphic layout manipulates the reader's perception of time and space.

This latest book in the popular Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series peers into Moore's deeply philosophical work to parse and deconstruct the ethical issues raised by Watchmen's costumed adventurers, their actions, and their world. From nuclear destruction to utopia, from governmental authority to human morality and social responsibility, it answers questions fans have had for years about Watchmen's ethical quandaries, themes, and characters.

 Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen has been widely hailed as a landmark in the development of the graphic novel. It was not only aesthetically groundbreaking but also anticipated future developments in politics, literature, and intellectual property.  Demonstrating a keen eye for historical detail, Considering Watchmen gives readers a new appreciation of just how radical Moore and Gibbons's blend of gritty realism and formal experimentation was back in 1986. The book also considers Watchmen's place in the history of the comics industry, reading the graphic novel's playful critique of superhero marketing alongside Alan Moore's public statements about the rights to the franchise. Andrew Hoberek examines how Moore and Gibbons engaged with the emerging discourses of neoconservatism and neoliberal capitalism, ideologies that have only become more prominent in subsequent years.  Watchmen's influences on the superhero comic and graphic novel are undeniable, but Hoberek reveals how it has also had profound effects on literature as a whole. He suggests that Watchmen not only proved that superhero comics could rise to the status of literature--it also helped to inspire a generation of writers who are redefining the boundaries of the literary, from Jonathan Lethem to Junot Díaz. Hoberek delivers insight and analysis worthy of satisfying serious readers of the genre while shedding new light on Watchmen as both an artistic accomplishment and a book of ideas. 

A powerful story about loss of freedom and individuality, V For Vendetta takes place in a totalitarian England following a devastating war that changed the face of the planet. In a world without political freedom, personal freedom and precious little faith in anything comes a mysterious man in a white porcelain mask who fights political oppressors through terrorism and seemingly absurd acts. It's a gripping tale of the blurred lines between ideological good and evil.

The 2005 James McTeigue and Wachowski Brothers film V for Vendetta represents a postmodern pastiche, a collection of fragments pasted together from the original Moore and Lloyd graphic novel of the same name, along with numerous allusions to literature, history, cinema, music, art, politics, and medicine.

Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on Superman, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It’s up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.

Delving into the supernatural side of Gotham City, this tale from acclaimed writer/artist David Finch explores the horrific murder of one of Bruce Wayne's childhood friends... and the terrible ramifications the brutal crime has on Batman's life.

Batman is one of the most complex characters ever to appear in comic books, graphic novels, and on the big screen. Combing through seventy years of comic books, television shows, and movies, Batman and Philosophy explores how the Dark Knight grapples with ethical conundrums, moral responsibility, his identity crisis, the moral weight he carries to avenge his murdered parents, and much more.

From his first comic-book appearance in 1939 through his many incarnations on the big screen, the archetypal superhero known as The Batman has never been far from the American consciousness. The character shaped the way we read comics and graphic novels, view motion pictures, and analyze the motifs of the Hero, the Anti-Hero and the Villain. He has also captured the scholarly imagination, telling us much about our society and ourselves. These essays examine how Batman is both the canvas on which our cultural identity is painted, and the Eternal Other that informs our own journeys of understanding.

This is a book about the comics genre and language, how these were used to create Batman, and how that character's longevity is largely due to the medium's unique formal qualities. It argues that Batman's core appeal is his mythic nature which allows him to transcend changes in reader tastes, the vicissitudes of the comics industry, and the changing media landscape. While including some historical elements, it is mostly a study of how the formal aspects of comics are able to evoke uniquely mythic qualities that have made Batman such a long-lived cultural phenomenon and how efforts to adapt these qualities into other media, particularly live-action feature films, have succeeded or failed based on the strategies employed. The book sheds light both on comics as a medium and art form with its own language, syntax and codes and on the process of adaptation--a growing area of study, given Hollywood's continuing interest in working with comic book superheroes.

The armies of Persia - a vast horde greater than any the world has ever known -- are poised to crush Greece, an island of reason and freedom in a sea of madness and tyranny. Standing between Greece and this tidal wave of destruction are a tiny detachment of but three hundred warriors. Frank Miller's epic retelling of history's supreme moment of battlefield valour is finally collected in a glorious hardcover volume.

A child from a dying planet is sent to Earth, where he is brought up by human parents and poses as a newspaper reporter, becoming Superman when necessary to use his special powers to save others.

Following a mysterious absence of several years, the man of Steel returns to Earth. While archenemy Lex Luthor plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman faces the realization that Lois Lane has moved on with her life.

Lex Luther sets out on a mission to locate the Black Lantern rings in order to gain unlimited power over humanity and is confronted by a man-eating gorilla and an assassin.

Revisits the early years of the first of the superheroes as the young Clark Kent learns of his alien origins and how to control his powers, first encounters Lex Luthor, and starts work at the failing "Daily Planet" in an embittered Metropolis.

U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined that only a secret group of despicable individuals with nothing to lose can avert a potential apocalypse. So, she has assembled the world’s most dangerous super villains, given them a powerful arsenal of weapons, and sent them off on a suicide mission.

"Captured super-villains must go on shady, near-impossible missions in the name of democracy for the government agency known as Checkmate or rot in jail. Most operatives don t make it back alive!"

As the surviving Squad members attempt to recover from their disastrous Gotham City mission, we learn a dark secret that has been festering in the team since issue #1: a traitor stalks the Suicide Squad! The saboteur’s mission: Assassinate Amanda Waller, expose the Squad and leave Task Force X in ruins! The Basilisk strikes!

Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team of superhumans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his army.

When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality.

Modern visionary Jonathan Hickman begins his Marvel magnum opus! As threats to Earth mount, the Avengers expand! And while Iron Man and Captain America assemble their Avengers World and strive to decipher the meaning of the White Event, Tony Stark secretly tries to solve the biggest crisis of all, along with his influential allies, the Illuminati! While they seek to prevent the collapse of reality itself, the Avengers face a war on two fronts! Protecting Earth from the Builders may only hand it to...Thanos!

he future begins in the past! It’s a clash of the titans in the 11th century, as Thor battles Apocalypse! The Avengers’ ancestors are being hunted and only a young Thor can save his future companions! And with Rama-Tut and Kang pulling the strings, you know nothing good can come from any of it. And in the present day, the beginning of the end looms ... as the Apocalypse Twins debut! Why do they seek to anger the Celestials? What is their connection to Kang? As S.W.O.R.D.’s Peak station is attacked by Apocalypse’s Ship, a Celestial meets a fate so shocking, so impossible, it will rock the Marvel Universe to its core. Now begins Ragnarok!

After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into Captain America, a Super Soldier. Now, as Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes and Peggy Carter to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull.

Captain America teams with the Black Widow and a new ally, the Falcon, in a fight for the future of mankind. Following the cataclysmic events in New York with the Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the entire world at risk. As the conspiracy deepens and it’s no longer clear whom to trust, Captain America, Black Widow and the Falcon must join forces to overthrow their insidious enemy’s most mysterious and powerful weapon yet - the Winter Soldier.

After another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps, one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.

The Marvel universe is changing. In the wake of a tragedy, Capitol Hill proposes the Super Hero Registration Act, requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government. Divided, the nation’s greatest champions must each decide how to react -- a decision that will alter the course of their lives forever.

Hero! Pilot! Avenger! Captain Marvel, Earth’s mightiest hero with an attitude to match, is launching headfirst into an all-new adventure! As Carol Danvers comes to a crossroads with a new life and new romance, she makes a dramatic decision that will alter the course of her life, and the entire Marvel Universe.

When former U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers was caught in the explosion of an alien device, she was transformed into one of the world’s most powerful super-beings. Now, she’s an Avenger and Earth’s mightiest hero. But before all that, Carol Danvers was just a girl from New England. This is her story.

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, the film tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who, after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Deadpool organizes a team to protect a mutant boy from a time-traveling cyborg.

During 1984's SECRET WARS, Deadpool was introduced to an alien symbiote who went on to become Spider-Man's black costume and, eventually, Venom. OK, OK, maybe that really happened in DEADPOOL'S SECRET SECRET WARS. Point is, did you know that after Spider-Man rejected the costume...it went slinking back to Deadpool on the rebound? And they went on adventures together? You didn't? Well, you will, now, thanks to this series by Cullen Bunn.

Daniel Way's hilarious, action-packed run begins here! When the Merc with a Mouth is hired to rub out Wolverine, sparks will fly! But when both men can regenerate any wound in minutes, how can either one expect to finish off his foe?

Deadpool awakes from a food coma to find ... the zombie apocalypse has occurred! Now, can the Merc with a mouth avoid becoming the Merc in their mouths?! Thrill to the sight of a hideous, rotting-fleshed monster shambling about the landscape ... and don’t forget all the zombies that he’s fighting! (Get it? That first one referred to Deadpool. Who says zombie horror comics can’t have a little humor?) Cullen Bunn, writer of the fan-favorite Deadpool Killogy, brings us one of Deadpool’s darkest tales ever ... and we’re not just saying that because it’s in black and white (and red)! So ring the dinner bell and nail shut the door, as Deadpool takes on the undead!

ight of the Living Deadpool brought you the tale of the Merc with the Mouth trapped in a zombie apocalypse. Our hero eventually found a "cure" to the outbreak -- any zombie that ate Deadpool transformed...into another Deadpool. Happily ever after? Not so fast! Because wandering hordes of Deadpools might just be worse than flesh-hungry walking corpses! Now, the world is overrun by zillions of Deadpools AND zillions of zombies, and a girl named Liz just wants to live through the night. But did she really just find a good Deadpool among the chaotic hordes?

Cyclops and Emma Frost re-form the X-Men with the express purpose of "astonishing" the world. But when breaking news regarding the mutant gene unexpectedly hits the airwaves, will it derail their new plans before they even get started? Collecting: Astonishing X-Men #1-6

X-Men is one of the most popular comic book franchises ever, with successful spin-offs that include several feature films, cartoon series, bestselling video games, and merchandise. This is the first look at the deeper issues of the X-Men universe and the choices facing its powerful "mutants," such as identity, human ethics versus mutant morality, and self-sacrifice.